Lady'Backs host ORU Tuesday

November 7, 2014

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas begins a busy week with three matches in five days hosting Oral Roberts Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., in Barnhill Arena. Arkansas enters the week on a five-match winning streak having won its last three matches in straight sets. The Lady’Backs recently crept above the .500 line with a 12-10 overall record and led the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division with a 9-3 mark. Oral Roberts is also challenging for the top spot in the Mid-Continent Conference and is currently second at 7-3. The Golden Eagles are 15-11 overall. "This is a big week," said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. "We’ll be challenged by both the physical and mental fatigue as well as top-notch opponents. We’re going into this stretch knowing we’re going to have to rely on the tough pre-conference schedule and conditioning to help us through." Arkansas has played well in recent matches winning 10 of its last 12 contests. The Lady’Backs have had two five-match win streaks this year and are looking for their sixth consecutive W against ORU but the Golden Eagles will challenge Arkansas. "The ORU match is always a dog-fight," said Poole. "It’s a great border rival and they always seem to get up for us." The ORU match is the first of three for Arkansas as the Lady Razorbacks hit the road Friday for an SEC match at Eastern Division rival No. 15 Tennessee. Arkansas holds a series advantage over the Lady Vols but this is the first time in 10 seasons the teams have meet with Tennessee ranked. "Tennessee is as good as they have been in more than a decade," said Poole. "They rank among the SEC leaders in nearly every statistical category and they have the advantage of playing on their home court. But we’re playing pretty well right now and I believe that if we can limit our errors and control the tempo of the match that anything can happen." The Lady Vols are not Arkansas’ only SEC threat this week. The Lady’Backs travel to South Carolina Sunday for a match that airs live on FOX Sports Net South (FSN) at noon Central. Both conference matches also air in Fayetteville on KXUA, 88.3 FM, and on the internet at www.ladybacks.com.